Eighty-Six
by Shadow Strabi-star22
Summary: My name is Rias Wolframite and I am not human. Nobody knows my secret but someone who does is trying to harness my power for evil. My comrades of the 17th Platoon are not safe when I'm around; Filth Monsters are emerging quite periodically. To protect my comrades I have to rely on my cursed bloodline. I am Rias Wolframite and 86% of my blood comes from a dragon. LayfonXNina and OC.
1. Chapter 1: Starting life anew

**A/N**: All right you little mind bunnies settle down...Okay guys, let's try out a brand new idea. Hopefully this'll be good, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Chrome Shelled Regios belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Starting life anew**

_Slums..._

"Catch her! Don't let her escape!"

"God damn it! This is the tenth time that sneaky bitch stole from my food stand this week! There's no way I'm letting her go!" People around quickly moved out of the way as I jump rooftop to rooftop with a brown bag in my arms. Down below two men roughly pushed aside others with their eyes pinned on my fleeing form. Taking a risk, I jumped off the roof and used the different alleyways to my advantage. Spotting my ideal hiding place, I propped open the sewer drain and slid in, feeling the wet surface beneath my toes. Placing the bag on the ground I held my breath as my pursuers stopped just above my hiding spot.

"Where the hell did that little punk go? Shit! She's always one step ahead of us!" One of the guys snapped, kicking a trashcan as a means to vent.

"Don't waste your energy on her. She isn't worth your time." The other replied hotly.

"You're right...once a slum rat always a slum rat." They walked away, their footsteps fading till I could hear no more. Noticing a puddle of dirty water next to me I stared at my own reflection; shoulder length scarlet hair with spiky ends and one emerald eye, my other eye was covered by an eye-patch. Tucking a strand behind an ear I rummaged through the brown sack and took out a delicious red apple. Huffing and wiping it on my sleeve I took a bite, savoring the fresh flavor of real food. After I finished, core and all, I carefully scurried through the tunnels and popped up in another part of the slums. Hoisting myself out of the sewer hole I returned home and found a pile of papers on my table. It's unusual for someone of my social status to receive mail. Flipping through the junk my eyes caught a small envelope with my name written in perfect handwriting. I turned the envelope over to see that there wasn't a return address so my curiosity got the better of me. I carefully ripped the top off and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, another folded blank piece of paper and what looks like a questionnaire. Unfolding the first piece I began to read my eyes honing in on the words that would change my life for the better. As I read towards the bottom I realized that I had to give my answer by the end of today. Checking the clock I had less than two hours to decide my course of action. I settled on a decision and, finding a broken pencil, scribbled my answers on the blank sheet of paper. I hurried off to the designated meeting place where an anonymous person lingered in the shadows.

"Have you decided?" Definitely a female's voice. I gripped the parchment in my hand awhile longer before handing it to her. "Very well." She took the paper from my hands. "Once you are of age, a package will be shipped to you with everything you need to know. Farewell." Giving me a small nod she disappeared into the dark.

* * *

_Few years later..._

I stared at myself in the mirror as I buttoned up my new student uniform; an orange shirt with a matching skirt. I dismissively tossed the skirt over my shoulder and settled with khaki shorts. Putting my hair up in a ponytail, I calmly entered my kitchen to cook breakfast, noticing the mail on the table. I received the mail a long time ago, the one that was addressed to me personally from a guy named Kalian Loss who worked at Academic City Zuellni. I laced up my combat boots and grabbed my bag. The sun blazed from above as I trekked to my new school, already anticipating my new environment.

"New students, please assemble at the main auditorium." The woman's voice stated calmly over the intercom as lots of people made their way inside the building. Tugging at my collar I shouldered my bag and walked through the door. Weaving my way through the crowds I found the president's room, the school's map in my hand. Tentatively, I lifted a hand and knocked three times.

"Come in." A voice spoke from within. Taking a deep breath I steeled my resolve and stepped through. A man with shoulder-length silver hair and grey eyes looked up at her from behind his round glasses. "How may I help you miss?"

"I was ordered to register at this school...Sir." I answered.

"I see." He nodded his head and snapped his finger, "May I have this young lady's record file?"

"Here you go sir." Another man walked up with a file in hand. Propping it open he cleared his throat and proceeded to read off the parchment. "Rias Wolframite, 16 years old. She lived in the slums by herself so we don't know much about her parents; in fact we can't even assume that they are still alive. Nothing else is known about her."

"Hmm...interesting." The man mused and held out his hand. "My name is Kalian Loss, head of the student council."

"It's a pleasure sir." I reached across the table and shook his hand.

"As you know Zuellni Academic City is operated solely by students. Thus, I essentially control everything. The power of final authority lies with me. Since there is so little information about you I don't know how to proceed with scholarship or jobs." Kalian sat on his couch with a sigh trying to think of a solution. Suddenly he snapped his fingers, a grin appearing on his face. "I got it. For now I assign you to work at the machinery department since it pays well and grant you some scholarship money. Of course your tuition will take most of what you earn."

"I understand sir."

"Six years of this will be quite demanding...I am thinking of moving you to the Military Arts Department. Your stipend would become an A ranking and your tuition would be waived. I don't think these are unfavorable conditions."

"Yes sir...thank you very much."

"Hmm...those clothes aren't appropriate for work. Girls, would you please help our guest? Please treat her well." Kalian snapped his fingers and I was surrounded by the rest of the student council. Stripping me of my attire I now sported the traditional blue and white Military Arts top, a cream shirt beneath and red tie. Luckily he allowed me to keep my khaki shorts because I loathe skirts.

"Wow..." I admired myself as the student council members clapped their approval.

"Perfect. Now off you go. Have a lovely day." Kalian nodded and practically shooed me out the door.

* * *

_Machinery department..._

The spacious halls were daunting as I changed out of my uniform and wore the required work clothes in the locker room. Immediately I was handed a broom and a bucket of water from one of the superiors when I stepped out adjusting the cuffs. I gave him a blank stare with a broom in one hand and the bucket in the other.

"All you have to do is scrub the floor, nothing hard just a little physical labor. Well I need to get back to work, good luck." He shouted over his shoulder as he walked away. Knowing that I had a lot to do I dipped the broom into the bucket to get it wet and started cleaning. I was about half-way done when I felt my hair being pulled and stopped cleaning, glancing behind me to see who was there. This light blue skinned girl was hovering right over my shoulder, watching me with interest.

"Well aren't you a cutie...may I?" I asked and reached out a hand to touch her. She giggled and held my hand with hers a smile on her face.

"Zuellni?! Where did you go? Don't just leave the core whenever you feel like it." A voice shouted and this woman ran up on the scene, looking around frantically. Noticing that I was standing there with the midget she stormed over and stared at me with impassive eyes. We stared at each other for a few minutes before she started to interrogate me.

"Newbie?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Name?"

"Rias Wolframite."

"Age?"

"16."

"Where do you live?"

"Sorry Ma'am that's a personal question that I refuse to answer." Somewhere in my mind I knew she came from a well-off family, probably born as a princess. There was no way in hell I'm telling her I'm from the slums.

"Do you have any combat experience?"

"...Not really." I replied meekly.

"...I see. Let's go Zuellni." The woman stated and turned on her heels with the small girl in tow. She looked back and gave me one last smiling before disappearing. I stood there like an idiot before getting back to work scrubbing before I get scolded on the first day. Luckily I managed to wash the entire floor, my hands rubbed raw from gripping the broom too tight.

"Well done." The man praised me as I stood before him, sweat on my face. "Not bad for your first time so keep up the good work. Dismissed."

"Thank you very much." I bowed my head and proceeded to the locker room to change. As I was adjusting the tie the woman I met earlier walked in. We didn't talk much so I quietly excused myself and left. Walking to the girls dorms I was assigned a room and given a key by the lady at the desk. After finding my room and shutting the door behind me, I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands. Looking around to make sure no one was around I took off the eye-patch and stared at my reflection. While one of my eyes looked like a human's eye the other one was an actual dragon's eye.

_No one needs to know about my condition...no one will ever know. I'm starting a brand new life._ I solemnly promised myself as I covered up the dragon eye and left the restroom and ran into someone. I yelped and fell on my butt before looking up at the person.

"Oh I'm sorry, didn't see you there." She apologized and helped me up. "I'm Mifi Lotton, a first year. I work part-time in the editorial department for _Weekly Look-On_ magazine so people usually regard me as the gossip girl. When I heard that we were having a new student rooming a few doors down I just had meet and greet."

"Uh nice to meet you too." I rubbed the back of my neck in nervousness, no one has ever been this nice to me before so this was a new experience for me. " My name is Rias Wolframite."

"Such an exotic name...thrilling!" She whipped out a little notepad and started to scratch notes. "As part of my job I also do photography." She took a picture with her camera that I never noticed until there was a click followed by a flash. I blinked before realizing that she took one. "This one is good, you are really good in front of cameras."

"Well I didn't know you did photography so I just acted like I normally would." I replied before there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Mifi are you in here?" A tall girl with shoulder-length violet hair walked in She was wearing the same uniform as I but with a short blue skirt. "Hmm? Are you the new student?"

"Nakki!" Mifi sauntered over to her friend with a smile. "I found my next scoop. I mean Lay-ton is still hot stuff but I know that the school might be interested with this mysterious red-head."

"Anyways, I'm Naruki Gerni, first year of the Military Arts Department." We shook hands before she noticed my uniform. "Oh you're in the same department as I. Nice!"

"I guess. Would you like to sit?" I gestured to my bed since I didn't have a round table or anything in the room and I felt bad that they were standing. Thanking me they made themselves comfortable while I got them some water with cups I found in the pantry.

"Have you figured out what platoon you were assigned to?" Mifi asked and I shook my head no.

"That's okay they'll probably put up the list tomorrow." Naruki said nonchalantly. "Some of the first years got scouted before arriving, others will be separated based on skill or knowledge. You are not alone though I have met some of the newer faces that hasn't been assigned platoons yet."

"I hope I get put into a good platoon but in all honesty any platoon would do." I replied.

"Mmhmm. You shouldn't judge any platoon until you've seen them in action." Mifi nodded with excitement. "Let's do our best tomorrow."

"Yeah!"

* * *

_Next morning..._

I woke up early so that I could have time to figure out what classes I had as well as looking for the platoon list. Luckily I was put in the same class as Naruki and Mifi so I didn't have to worry about getting lost.

"Platoon...17?" I looked at the paper on the board. There were a couple of papers pinned around campus and I found my name alongside the number 17.

"Ahaha! Did you hear that?!" Some of the boys behind me snickered. "That pipsqueak got placed in the loser platoon."

"There's no way they'll win this year...what a pity." All around me I heard either scorn, pity or down-right cruel comments about this platoon. Brushing off any dark thoughts I hurried to my designated training area. Arriving at the gym I tentatively opened the door and peeked around hoping to sneak in without a sound.

"You're late!" A voice snapped and I cringed, this was also the first time anyone had scolded me. I stood there with my head bowed before summoning the courage to lift my head. There were three guys present and they were staring at me with grins on their faces. I noticed that the woman with short spiky blonde hair and a cowlick was glaring daggers at me. Wait she was the one I met at the Machinery Department however it seems like she hasn't realized it yet. "Alright since you were late you will have to train with me, no exceptions."

"Nina don't be so hard on her." A boy with green hair said as he approached me. "Hi there I'm Harley Sutton, DITE-mechanic for the 17th platoon but don't worry about that. Here, you're gonna need this." He pulled out a box full of devices and held it up to me. "Go on, pick whichever one you want."

"These are...DITEs?" I took one out and looked at it carefully. "They look like regular rectangle-shaped objects."

"Those things are weapons that Kei users can use." Harley explained it to me. "They can morph into a weapon when its user says 'Restoration'. Why don't you try it out?" I didn't get to voice my opinion before he shoved me to the middle of the room. Glancing around I noticed that all eyes were on me. Gripping the device in my hand I closed my eye in concentration, in focus.

"Restoration." There was silence and when I opened my eye I was still staring at the same small device like it didn't even move an inch...Nothing happened.

"She...can't even use a DITE..." The man next to Harley shook his head in pity. I stared at the device in my hand before looking at them, their expressions said it all.

"You got to be shitting me. She can't even perform a simple task. Why the hell is she even on our platoon?!" Nina growled before calling forth her own weapons. "Fine let's see your combat skills!" She ran forward with a killer intention before I could even think.

"No Nina! You can't do that, she's still new!" Harley's voice fell on deaf ears as I watched her approach me with her weapons. Something inside was telling me to run but I couldn't. I watched as the blades got nearer and lifted my arms in the shape of an X in front of my face in hopes of protection. I was scared and totally afraid of getting hurt, I wasn't ready.

_I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die._ I shut my eye tightly and prayed hard, hoping for some miracle. Suddenly my right eye pulsated and Nina's swords struck my arms but didn't cut through. I heard gasps and I open my eye to see that my arms transformed into dragon arms, my skin was replaced with black scales that stopped at my elbows and on each arm there were silver gauntlets which blocked the blades. My hands turned into full-blown ivory claws and as I flexed my fingers I watched how they glistened due to the lighting.

"What is...she?!" The boys breathed as Nina stepped back and I looked at my arms in worry. All of my past memories entered my mind from my childhood and I darted out of the training grounds as fast as I could. I continued running until my legs gave out and I slumped to my knees gasping for air. My arms still haven't changed back and I just banged them against the ground in frustration creating giant holes with each punch.

_What the hell am I doing? I can't even use a DITE properly. Instead..._I stopped hitting the ground and looked at my transformed arms. _The dormant blood within my body surfaced once more, the blood of a dragon. I told myself that I would be able to live another life...there is no place in this city for me. The members of the 17__th__ platoon...they know my secret... _

"There you are." I looked to see Nina standing there behind me. I quickly dried my tears and stood up with my head slightly lowered. "Leaving in the middle of training results in punishment however..." She approached me slowly until she stood right in front of me and I tensed up in fear of what she was about to do. What I didn't expect was her to flick my forehead.

"Eh?" I gaped at her in confusion. She just smiled in return.

"Well it did startle me when you pulled that need trick but I sense potential so I'll let this slide. Come." She held out her hand. "I'll try to train you the best I can."

"...Yes Ma'am!"


	2. Chapter 2: Capture the flag

**A/N**: Chapter 2 of _Eighty-Six_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Chrome Shelled Regios belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Capture the flag**

_The next day..._

"Lift your arms a little more!"

"Yes!"

"Put more power into that strike! You'll only suffer from the rebound!"

"Yes!"

"Keep your thumbs on the outside of your fists! If your punch connects you'll break them and it'll only hurt you and not your opponent."

"Yes!" I wiped the sweat from my brow and took a quick sip of water. Since yesterday I learned that I couldn't wield a DITE but instead change the appearance of my arms into that of a beast..a Filth Beast. The leader of the 17th Platoon Nina Antalk decided to teach me the basics of fighting, everything from defensive stances, attack stances to attack maneuvers and how to control my kei.

"You still have potential as a Kei user it's just weird that you can't use a DITE. If I have to judge, you probably have an unusual amount of External Type kei." She said, pointing to the blackboard like a teacher. When I'm not practicing my techniques I'm studying the books.

"External..type?" I tilted my head in confusion, a notebook with pages of notes lay flat on my little desk, a pencil twirling between my fingers. Whenever I'm with the platoon Nina would make it her top priority to teach the new members the basic knowledge about the Military Arts.

"External Type kei which lays mostly dormant within your body is used for attacking. It would take the form of a blast which would affect the surrounding materials." She looked to where the males were doing something else and pointed to the man with the tea-colored hair. "Layfon Alseif over there has Internal Type kei, it is used to strengthen parts of the body during battle or to speed up regeneration. He claims it's the 'bread and butter' for the receivers."

"What about her?" I tilted my head to the silver-haired girl who leaned against the wall with an expressionless look. She noticed that I was staring and walked off with a silent huff, I guess she doesn't really like newcomers.

"That was Felli Loss, her brother is the head of the Student Council. She has Psychokinetic kei and because of that we call her an Nen-I user. She can communicate telepathically as well as move objects around with her telekinetic ability. Unfortunately she cannot use External Type kei or Internal Type kei because it's a combination of both."

"That makes sense, how intriguing." I nodded at her words and started to scribble some more notes.

"I was wondering, what's wrong with your eye? Why do you need that eye-patch?" Nina asked. They were sincere questions but I felt my insides tense up.

"...Sorry I don't want to talk about this eye yet...not until I'm ready." I placed a hand over my eye-patch and looked away.

"...Very well." She spoke after a long time of staring at me with calculating eyes. "But I want some clear explanations when you're ready."

"Yes Ma'am." I replied and we continued the session before the school bell rang as a warning that first class was about to begin.

"Don't forget, we have practice first thing tomorrow morning. Don't be late. See ya." Nina waved goodbye and left.

* * *

_After school..._

Once the bell rang signaling the end of the last class, I walked back to my dorm with my bag over my shoulder. Usually I'd take the train back to the station since the girls dorm wasn't that far away but today I realized a tiny pound on the other side of the campus and it was hidden from view unless you look vary closely so I decided to check it out. Settling underneath the comfy shades of the tree I splayed out on the soft grass and looked at the sky above me in silence. The wind played with my red hair lazily and I closed my eyes to take a quick nap. I started to dream and within my dream I saw a silhouette of people dressed in dark robes. I tried to see what their faces looked like but they were hidden behind some kind of mask. I tried to speak but nothing came out and then I realized that I was floating within an experimentation tube.

"Her conditions are stable, no abnormalities." A female voice spoke. "It's amazing."

"Did you except anything less?" A male's voice countered. "Out of all the specimens here, this one was a rarity."

"How did you get her? Where is she from?" The female asked.

"The records show that she was found in another town." A much younger voice spoke as it was accompanied by the shuffling of papers. "Somehow the government was able to take her before she was fully developed. Of course it wasn't cheap, we had to pay big bucks for this one."

"We tried to fuse her blood with a couple of others but as you can see.." I watched as they turned their heads to the side and I followed their line of sight, my breathing stuck in my throat as my eyes widened in horror. Through the glass container I could see mountains of corpses that went from the floor to the ceiling. There were some twitching limbs here and there and as revolting as it seems I couldn't tear my gaze away from them. "they weren't the perfect candidates to be catalysts."

"This type of blood has already adapted to her body, responding to her and her alone." The female replied as she scribbled some notes on a clipboard. "That's what makes her rare."

"What happens if she loses control in the future?" A male's voice asked and they looked back at me. "Do you think she'll turn just her ancestors before her and become a destroyer of humanity?"

"No matter what path God has laid out for you..."

"You are in charge of your own fate."

"Some roads are going to be thorny..."

"But there's always an alternative solution to walking them."

"It doesn't matter who you are, it only matters on what you will become. Everyone has their own sins and struggles to carry, you are no different!" Their voices echoed and I awoke with a jolt, my heart thumping against my chest painfully. Somehow those words felt like needles stabbing into my ear and I shook my head constantly to get it out.

"Hey check this out." I looked up to see a group of boys approaching me. "Such a beauty all by herself, I wonder if she's feeling lonely." Sitting next to me, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Listen here baby, let's say you and me...tonight at my house. What do you say?"

"Uh...no." I nervously replied, trying to detach his arm from my shoulder. "Who would want to go out with an idiot such as yourself?"

"You...you...you look like an idiot too!" He stumbled over his words, it would seem that he's not use to insults since nobody actually talked to him like this.

"Oooooh, that one cut deep." I responded, lacing the tone of my voice with sarcasm.

"I'll show you a deep cut!" He growled and whipped out his DITE, getting into an attacker's stance. I took a defense stance like I learned from today, both arms raised on either side of my face. He lunged forward, thrusting his sword towards my face. I ducked as the weapon sailed overhead and slammed my palms against his body, pouring some of my Kei into his body. He flew back in surprise and landed against the ground with a grunt. I was so preoccupied with him that I didn't notice his buddies circling me. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain on the back of my neck and I fell forward, hitting the ground hard. I lay there wincing before receiving a kick to my ribs, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I curled up as more blows rained down upon me, covering my head with my arms the best I could.

"You bitch!"

"Take this!"

"Grovel in the dirt like the pig you are!"

"Why don't you grovel in the dirt you bastards!" A new voice shouted and the blows suddenly stopped. I decided to take a peek after a few minutes of anticipating the next hit.

"You are..." I looked up to see Layfon standing in front of me, his DITE drawn with an angry expression on his face. The man was wailing, waving his stump of an arm in panic. I spotted his dismembered limb lying in the dirt.

"I don't know what happened here but no one is allowed to bully a team member. Get out of here." Layfon ordered firmly, his eyes blazed with determination. The men looked at one another before looking at their leader who scowled, holding his wounded arm.

"I'll never forgive you...neither of you! You just watch I'll get you both some day! Let's go." The man backed off and walked away with his group in a hurry.

"Are you okay?" Layfon asked as he put away his weapon, holding out his hand.

"I think so." I said and I accepted his hand, getting back on my feet. "Thanks for...you know saving me." I avoided his gaze and I swear my face was starting to heat up. We stood there in awkward silence before he held my hand lightly. I looked up at him in confusion as he pulled me along.

"Let's get you cleaned up."

"Ah! Wait my bag!"

* * *

_Layfon's room..._

The walk to the boy's dorm was not as close as I thought and it was surprisingly bigger than what I had expected. Layfon's room was on the second floor and at the end of the hallway. I stood inside his room as he moved about cleaning away some left-over food; my eyes gazed at every little thing in detail like I was trying to memorize the layout of his living space. The difference between his room and mine is that mine has a little more space than his but he has a kitchen; other than that we have almost identical rooms.

"Here. You can use the bath and wash up. I'll get you some spare clothing." He smiled as he held the door open for me. I shuffled in and locked the door behind me. The bathroom was beautiful with its white tile walls. The shower had a ceramic tile floor and the tub next to it was big enough to fit two people. Overall it took my breath away and I saw that there was water in the tub that was still warm. Placing my bag near the door and easing out of my dirty clothes I gently eased into the water, releasing a sigh as the soothing liquid flowed over every inch of my skin. I grabbed the shampoo bottle and lathered it in my hair, massaging my scalp. Soon the bath smelled like fresh coconut mixed with tropical Hawaiian fruit and I released a sigh of bliss, sinking lower into the water with my eyes closed. After a few minutes of soaking in I decided to get out before I turned into a prune. Wrapping my body with a towel and drying out the droplets from my hair as I exited the bathroom, I looked up to see Layfon standing near the door with something in his arms.

"Hey!" The door swung open, smacking Layfon unexpectedly in the head and Nina stood there with concern on her face. She looked at me in only a towel before noticing that Layfon was on the ground holding his face in pain. "What the hell are you doing behind the door Layfon? Well never mind that, Rias I heard you got into a fight..." She walked over and stood before me. "Are you hurt? Let me see." She then proceeded to remove my towel.

"EEEEK! What are you doing?! Keep your hands to yourself!" I moved out of reach and darted behind the couch, fixing my towel so it wouldn't slip off my body. I glared at her with an angry and embarrassed expression. "I'm not even dressed yet and you want to inspect my body?! I could consider this as an assault!" _And Layfon's in the room as well, I don't want him to see me butt naked. _I thought with disgust.

"Don't be stupid." Nina barked back as she inched closer. "There's no way in hell I'm letting those men go after they attacked a new member of Platoon 17. If there is so much of a scratch on your body I will take care of them personally!"

"Captain she didn't get hurt as badly as you may think. Just some light bruising but they will heal in no time." Layfon said after making sure his nose wasn't broken. "I found you a spare uniform, I think it'll fit nicely if not loosely." He handed it to me and I disappeared to get dressed. The spare uniform was a bit large on me but it'll do for now.

"JUST some light bruising?" Nina was still in a heated argument when I came back out. "I think they're trying to pick a fight with us."

"Isn't there a mock battle coming up soon?" Layfon asked. "Aren't we their opponents? Maybe we can get them back in that fight."

"Perfect!" Nina nodded her head with glee, "The perfect opportunity for us to show them what we're capable of. Very well we'll show them how strong the 17th Platoon is."

"So who are our opponents?" I asked with curiosity.

"The 16th platoon."

* * *

_The next day..._

The arena was filled with students as they chattered excitedly about the match. Layfon's little cheer squad were also in the stands front and center. I waited anxiously in the waiting room with the rest of the squad, looking at my hands in deep thought. I have never participated in an actual fight competition so I wasn't comfortable on unleashing my hidden power. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain shoot from underneath my eye-patch and I inwardly growled, trying to suppress it.

"Just relax." I looked up as Nina smiled at me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Be confident in yourself." Suddenly there were sounds of footsteps and our captain quickly rushed up to stand before the other squad, her shoulders squared and heels together in perfect form.

"I look forward to our match." Nina spoke confidently to the leader of the other squad who happened to be a former teammate from her mission from 2 years ago.

"You think we're equals just because you lead a platoon? I'd be surprise if your platoon would last even 5 minutes out there." was the reply and he shoved her out of the way while the rest of his buddies snickered.

"This match will determine our next standing in the next challenge." Nina turned to us, brushing off the other leader's attitude. "So stay sharp." As we walked out onto the field I noticed there were 6 of them and 6 of us...the perfect fit.

"The rules are simple. Treat this like a real battle. The 17th platoon will attack and the 16th platoon will defend. Now take your positions!" The head of the Military Arts Department Vanzeh spoke. At the sound of a siren the match was on.

"The only way we can win is to wipe out the enemy platoon or take down the flag planted behind their lines." Nina informed us as we ran, "Felli, keep a sharp look out for anything suspicious." As a tactic, our captain split us up into two groups, Felli and Harley on defense and the rest of us on the attack.

"As defense, what conditions have to be met to win?" Layfon asked as we ran towards the other end of the arena.

"Protect the flag till time runs out, or knock down the enemy leader till he cant get up anymore. The enemy will be after me, so I'll act as a decoy to lure them in." She looked over her shoulder at us, "Remember, if the captain falls then the squad loses."

"Looks like our captain is acting aggressive today." Sharnid chuckled.

"Layfon, you take front line. Sharnid, you cover him." Nina snapped. "Rias you follow Layfon and keep your eyes peeled."

"Roger." The orange-haired gunman replied.

"Enemies detected. They are approaching quickly." Felli's voice floated around us. Looking up we noticed almost all of the members-minus the leader-standing above us.

"Restoration!" Nina said and summoned her weapon as they jumped down, weapons raised over their heads.

"Ma'am!" Layfon shouted before blocking an attack.

"Stand back!" Nina growled as she knocked one of the members away. "Sharnid! Why aren't you backing him up!"

"Better said than done." Sharnid gritted his teeth as he looked at the two combating men through the cross-hairs of his scope. "He's too close for me to get a clear shot."

"WAAAAHHHHH!" I yelled as I was knocked off the cliff and disappeared into the under bush.

"Rias has been blown off-course." Felli's voice whispered through the transmitter in Nina's ear. "I don't know if she got hurt."

"The newer students in this group are terrible." Vanzeh spoke through the phone as he watched the fight on a large screen."Watching them channeling their inner power is a travesty, especially the boy. What are you hiding Kalian Loss?"

"Zuellni only ever gets the fighters who haven't come into their own yet." The voice of the head student council spoke through the phone. "To him, this may appear little more than child's play."

"Well we're giving this child's play everything we've got."

"All cities have the same desperation to survive. That fact doesn't seem to be reaching him."

"It's not just him. There's your younger sister, Sharnid and that...girl. The whole platoon is nothing but trouble. You need to assign Nina Antalk to a different platoon, let her get brought up right." Vanzeh growled through the phone.

"She herself opposed the idea. Also, it can't be said that failure produces nothing." Kalian replied.

"So the whole platoon is to be sacrificed for the greater gain?" Vanzeh asked, leaning forward to observe the screen more closely.

"Whether or not that's the case will depend on the outcome." was the reply.

_Ugggh...this isn't going as planned._ Nina bit her lips in frustration as she watched her enemies with caution. However when she was occupied with one, another person slipped behind her and slashed her back. Tumbling forward, she glared back as memories from her last mission 2 years ago swam through her head as she knelt on one knee, trying to catch her breath. Summoning the last of her strength she avoided an attack from one of the last members before knocking him out immediately however after pulling off the stunt left her breathless, forcing her back to her knees.

"You haven't changed at all from two years ago, maggot." He said as she struggled to her feet.

_God damn it..._I growled as I climbed back up to where the fighting was. Struggling to catch my breath, I watched in horror as Layfon was kicked away by the other team's captain, his body disappearing into the forest. _If I don't do anything, Captain's going to lose! The time is now, I don't care how anyone else perceives me as! The 17__th__ Platoon is going to win this competition! _Biting my lip I willed my legs to move as the man raised his weapon high over his head, charging up power.

"This battle is mine!" He roared and brought his weapons down. Nine raised her own weapon in an attempt to block it but suddenly she saw a body stand before her. "What the-?!" He growled as I stood in front of my captain, dragon-like arms raised to grab the weapons and stopped the attacks in their place. "How did you-?!" I pushed against him with my enhanced strength and wrestled the weapons away, throwing them to the ground. Growling I proceeded to attack back, the speed of my punches were too fast for the naked eye. Without his weapons he was utterly defenseless against my fists. I was so focused on him that I didn't sense the approaching figures coming in from behind me but Layfon took care of them, his DITE glowing brightly from the over-flow of his KEI.

"Flame..." Pulling my right arm back I channeled my inner KEI so that it congregated into my right fist. "Stryker!" Taking a step forward with my left leg, the ground crushed underneath my foot, I punched him square in the face and boosted by the power of my KEI cause a fiery explosion to occur. The man fell back with his face burned, smoke coming off of his entire body. Not even bothering to make sure he was okay I raced further into enemy territory to find their tower unguarded. Eying the flag blowing on the top, I latched on to the tower and climbed my way to the top. Once I got to the top, I cut the flag stick in half and jumped down. Landing in a crouch I planted it by my side as the siren wailed indicating the end of the match.

"And the winners are...the members of the 17th Platoon!" The announcer's voice rose above the cheers of the audience. I breathed heavily and glanced around in mild surprise at the roar from the audience. Sharnid, Layfon and Harley rushed up to congratulate me but Nina held back and I had a feeling that she wasn't too thrilled.

"Umm...Captain?" I asked meekly, waiting for her approval. Sparing me a glance she turned on her heels and returned to the locker room without another word. I frowned, looking at the ground and berated myself for disappointing my captain. My right eye has settled down a bit but I ended up being self-conscious and placed a hand over it in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Are you okay?" I looked to see Felli standing before me, a concerned look on her face. "Don't worry about our Captain at the moment. At least be happy that we won so...get rid of that frown."

"Party!" Harley and Sharnid crowed with happiness as they made their way back to the locker rooms.

"Let's go." I looked up to see Layfon extend his hand for me. I lowered my hand and smiled.

"Okay."


	3. Chapter 3: Polluted Earth

**A/N**: Chapter 3 of _Eighty-Six_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Chrome Shelled Regios belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Polluted Earth**

_After the match..._

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stomping the floor with force at each footstep. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and who seemed to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her and it was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck to Nina's forehead and cheeks, her golden hair was dirty and messy, her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren't many students who would walk around with that appearance full of anger. Reaching the door of the Student President, she raised a fist and pounded heavily on the wood.

"Come in." came the voice of the President but she allowed herself in without a second thought. Kalian smiled at her entrance.

"Third year, Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in." She said slowly as she closed the door. Looking around she noticed that she wasn't the only visitor today. Head of the Millitary Arts Department as well as Leader of the 1st platoon, Vanzeh decided to pay the president of the Student Council a visit as well.

"Congratulations on your first win." Kalian smiled broadly as Nina made herself comfortable.

"What was that?" She asked as her brow furrowed.

"Uh...what do you mean?" Kalian looked at her in confusion.

"Layfon Alseif and Rias Wolframite. You knew those two weren't normal people, didn't you?"

"Why do you think so?"

"This is all too strange. Layfon did really well in the opening ceremony while Rias was picked up before the school year started. Before their abilities were confirmed, you transferred them into Military Arts and nominated them to join my platoon. During that time, there must have been lots of people thinking you were just blinded by Layfon's brilliant performance. But you didn't take any action afterwards...your personality would've made that impossible." Nina looked at him in a way that dared him to deny the truth.

"But you accepted them." Kalian took a sip from his cup in a simple manner. "Don't you admire their performance today?"

"I tested them." Nina replied. She'd had Felli bring Layfon to the training room and had measured his strength and did the same thing to me. At that time, she didn't feel that Layfon nor I were hiding our true strength and felt that if we had more training, our strength could exceed that of the existing members. But that judgment was completely in error. Just by that match alone she saw my true strength as well as Layfon's true strength.

"You seem to know who they are. Did you know of their identities before the match?" Vanzeh asked and Kalian shook his head.

"It's not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities." The other two people in the room weren't convinced. "I only found out about them by chance." He raised his hands in surrender. Continuing their discussion Kalian told them that he happened to chance upon a Heaven's Blade match in which Layfon was participating in. This enraged Nina because, knowing this little knowledge, she realized that he could have defeated her easily in their first training but instead he choose to lose to her and it felt like an insult to her.

"That was Layfon's current status. Do you know anything about the girl?" Vanzeh asked. At this, Kalian looked at them sternly, the atmosphere around the room dropped to the point of danger.

"As I told you, nothing in our records explain anything about her." He spoke in a very serious voice. "I have other researchers searching through all of the databases, entries and articles about her but my haunches tell me that her info...would be in a restricted file hidden within the confines of the data stream."

"Do you think there was something about her past that has been hidden from our eyes?" Vanzeh questioned.

"Whatever the case," Kalian placed his hands together in thought, "we'll definitely find everything and anything about our new student down to the bare bones."

* * *

_Hospital..._

Layfon groggily opened his eyes and looked around. What greeted him were white-washed curtains, walls and tile flooring. The smell of medicine hit his nose and he knew immediately where he was.

"I'm here again..." He groaned without enthusiasm.

"Ah, Layton's up!" Mifi said with a paper cut in hand as Meishen and Naruki filtered in behind her. "How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible."

"I didn't know you were that strong, apart from the red-head." Naruki said as she stood at the foot of his bed. "The last two moves were amazing." Hearing that statement the bitterness on his face deepened and she noticed it because she also changed her own expression. Taking a juice box from Meishen's hand and poking a hole with the straw, he started to drink the sweet liquid which refreshed his thirsty throat and he felt rejuvenated in an instant.

"Thanks. I feel much better." He smiled at her. Meishen's face reddened and she lowered her head.

"...Um, if you're hungry, I've got a bento..." She stuttered and held out a neatly packaged basket.

"Uh, thank you." Sitting up in bed, he watched as she carefully unwrapped it and placed it in his lap. He saw that it was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had things wrapped in paper that seemed to be baked biscuits. "I am hungry." Taking a bite, his eyes widened in surprise and he wolfed it down in two bites. "It's delicious!"

"Oh, almost forgot." Naruki said as she and Mifi were about to go buy some juice. "Your platoon's going to celebrate the victory and we've been invited as well."

"Got it." Layfon replied as he got started on his third sandwich. Once they were alone Meishen lost her composure and started to fidget, play with her fingers and her eyes were darting around the room. This didn't go unnoticed by Layfon and he gazed at her in question.

"Is everything alright?" He asked her.

"Uh...ye...yeah." She stuttered quickly. "E..eve..everything is okay. Really."

"I'm sorry for making you make the bento." He apologized, thinking that was what making the situation awkward and embarrassing.

"...Not at all." She said pleasantly. "It's a...th...thank you."

"Thank you?" He asked.

"...You saved me." Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head.

"That was nothing."

"...But I was still saved."

"Then I'll gratefully receive your goodwill, but I've almost eaten it all." Layfon looked at the almost empty basket. Meishen laughed lightly at the joke, covering her mouth with her hand.

"...Lay...ton. You're strong." She whispered as he finished the last sandwich in the basket.

"No...not at all." He spoke. Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another "him" who couldn't deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts and he also knew that I also possess a different kind of power than everyone else in the city. Layfon tried his all to hide it and he didn't know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Kalian didn't seem to have leaked the secret. The two of them continued their little conversation until Naruki and Mifi came back and they all decided to attend the party that was happening that night.

* * *

_At the work place..._

I scrubbed the floor with the brush in silence, the sound of the brush scrapping against the tile floor was the only soothing to me at the moment. I had some bandages here and there but I really hated to be confined in the hospital so I asked the nurse for an early release. She was resistant at first but finally let me go after giving me directions on how to tend to my wounds. Some of the workers around me kept their distance, eying me carefully in case I turned into a monster but I paid them no heed as I proceeded to go up to the next level. Looking at the nearby clock on the wall I knew that the party probably ended but since I decided to hang around just for a little bit, I asked my boss before the start if I could work overtime. He was a little worried since I was still healing but decided that it would be okay as long as I don't hurt myself.

_I'm really happy that we won but...I shouldn't have showed off my power like that. What would the other students think that I have mutated arms? _I thought as I wiped the sweat from my brow. But more importantly...Gazing up at the ceiling I decided to take a break and leaned against the wall, pulling one knee close to my chest. _How will my team mates think about me later down the line? I know that Harley and Sharnid were okay with it, Layfon and the girls were okay with it but the Captain..._Lifting my hand up to my face I placed if over my eye-patch, feeling the warmth pulsing through the leather._ I'll have to be careful from now on and learn how to control my power more efficiently. _Releasing a sigh, I closed my eyes and dozed off, dreaming all sorts of things but not the one I dreamed near the lake.

Lazily I opened my eye slightly and saw a small blue girl floating in front of me, the same blue girl that was fluttering around Nina the first time we met. She smiled and started to play with my hair, making cute cooing sounds.

"You're...Zuellni aren't you?" I asked and she sat on my knee, swinging her legs back and forth in a calming manner. "How are you not afraid of me? ...why am I not afraid of you?" She looked at me with her big eyes and smiled. Gently picking her up in my hands I walked towards the railing and just stared off into space. The calm winds that flowed through the openings were always soothing for me so we stood there staring at nothing, the silence between us were enough.

"Thanks for keeping me company but I have to get back to work." I said as I dipped the brush into the bucket, about ready to scrub the tiles. "Just because I asked to go overtime doesn't mean I should slouch at my job. Maybe on my next break, why don't the two of us just hang out for the entire day?" Zuellni floated right beside me with that smile on her face, nodding her head at the wonderful idea. Suddenly the ground shook and I held onto a ledge to keep my balance. "Woah! What's happening?!" The sound of the siren reached my ears and when I looked up, Zuellni was gone. The sound of grinding pipes echoed all over as the violent shaking of the floor got more and more intense. The bucket with all of the water splashed everywhere and I groaned because I knew I would have to clean it up but with this much shaking it was impossible for me to move an inch.

"Rias!" I looked to see Nina running up to me, a little breathless which indicated that she was probably looking for me. Another shake caused her to lose her balance but I caught her just in time, pulling her close to me as we waited for it to settle down. Unfortunately the shaking continued so we just stood together as close a possible.

"Are you...mad at me or...Layfon?" I asked her and she stared at me with a tight-lip. Since the party she's been giving Layfon and I a wide birth, avoiding eye-contact and even offered to have a sleep over with Felli tonight.

"...there's nothing for me to be mad about." She said slowly. "Besides we need to help the others as soon as possible, 'they' have returned."

"Who are 'they'? And what were those tremors?" I asked.

"Those were called city-quakes." She replied as I nodded. "Anyways, there should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!"

"But the floor is unstable," I pointed to the now uneven ground. "we shouldn't move too much."

"Even so, we still have to go back!" Taking the lead, she dashed through the gaps between the pipes thanks to her enhance body movement by using Internal-type KEI. There was a passageway that was suspended in mid-air and she disappeared through it. Although it was the shortest route to go to the surface, it was risky because it was swinging left and right. Gazing around I noticed some footholds on nearby pipes so I transformed my arms and latched onto the pipes. Apparently beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived so as I was climbing my way up after the fleeting Captain, the corner of my eyes spotted Zuellni, an existence pulsating with dim light. Still in the child-form, she was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression.

"Uuuughhhh!" Jumping off the last pipe and landing on the corridor, my right eye started to throb and hurt. "...what...what is this feeling?!" Just as Nina was about to run pat me, I held onto her wrist to stop her. "Wait..."

"Let go!" She exclaimed but stopped when she noticed that I was in pain, "What's wrong?!"

_What is this feeling? _I thought as I tried to control these strange urges from within my body. _It feels familiar and yet it feels foreign. Whatever it is...they must be stopped. _Suddenly I stood erect, my gaze looking at the deep earth as well. "Hurry and go to a shelter. Don't worry about me." Like a robot I started to walk on my own, my legs refusing to obey what my brain was telling it to do.

"What are you talking about? Hey!" She stood in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks. "Just where do you plan on going?!"

"Something is coming..." I told her with a daze-like expression on my face. "Creatures are rising from that hole in the earth and if they aren't stopped, we're all in trouble." News spread fast through the school as students immediately dropped whatever they were doing and made their way to nearby shelters just like they had practiced for emergencies such as this. After being informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Kalian immediately left and went to the school building. He wasn't headed to the Student President's office but instead he entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vanzeh.

"Situation?" Kalian asked curtly.

"One-third of Zuellni's legs are trapped in the ground, unable to escape." A thin, tall male student replied to his short question.

"Escape?" Kalian's eyebrow rose in questioning.

"Yeah...it should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now...Well, the legs are stuck."

"How's the evacuation going?" the Student President directed that question towards Vanzeh.

"The City Police are evacuating the students, but it's too chaotic; they don't have the situation under control yet." Vanzeh shook his head with a scowl.

"That can't be helped. We don't have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible." Kalian then directed his attention to the representative of the Alchemy course. "Release the safety setting of all the DITEs of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city's defense system."

"We're already on it." was the swift reply.

"Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core."

"Do you think we can do this?" Vanzeh questioned with a stiff face and everyone looked at the president. The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in it was a student and there were no adults in any of the grades, from seniors down to freshmen. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt in its citizens.

"Only a dead end awaits us if we don't do this." Kalian spoke. "Not only will the Military Arts students die, but everyone in Zuellni." Everyone in the room was holding his breath. They understood the situation and under the shadow of death no one wanted to say, "Let's run away". If they ran out of the city, they still couldn't survive on the polluted earth. "We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's – no, also for our own future. Please understand this fact and act accordingly."

"Yes sir!" the council of students responded before leaving the room to get ready.

* * *

_Back to the pipes..._

"What kind of creatures are you talking about?" Nina asked. Strangely the pain in my eye subsided and I had full control of my body again, though I couldn't shake off that eerie feeling.

"They are beings known as filth monsters." I said. She paused for half a second, taking time to digest my meaning.

"How could that happen?! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can't be happening..." She paced around anxiously.

"A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the earth, and even then there are limits." I explained. "What Zuellni encountered this time is likely a mature mother-form sleeping beneath the ground...or at least I suspect that is what had happened." The female filth monsters had eggs inside their bodies. The mother hibernated until the eggs mature into a larval stage and since the young ones that hatched can't absorb the pollutants, the mother would provide them clean nutrients she had stored in her body during her hibernation. If this still wasn't enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they fully matures. If that isn't enough, the mother herself will become the food for her young.

"So you're saying..." Nina's hand trembled as realization donned on her, "The people of Zuellni would become food?"

"Please head for the shelter..." I urged her.

"Stop it!" She snapped and I blinked as if she just slapped me in the face with her reaction. "You're telling me to evacuate!? You're telling me to run away!? Do you think I could do that!?" I stared at her, lost. Then something bright enveloped her, the light of KEI which symbolized her fighting spirit. This was the first time I have seen something this beautiful and radiant, it made me want to protect it with all the fibers in my body.

"You're too naive..." I muttered, too low for her to hear since she was still yelling at me.

"What is our power for? What is the purpose of this power within us?! Isn't it for times like this?! Not for fights between people, but for our survival! Do you think we are allowed to run away at a time like this?! Stop joking!"

_Now I understand why she is trembling._ I looked at her with a knowing expression. _It wasn't fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. That was the drumming eliminating her fear. And that's why it was so bright...her fighting spirit. _

"...You are despicable...just like Layfon." She said in a low growl, suppressing her violent emotion. "You two have great power so why don't you use it for something useful?"

"...I gotta go..." I had to get out of there quick, the last words she said fell deaf to my ears as I hurried back to the now empty dorms as students were already making their way to the shelters. Slamming the door shut I leaned against it, my breathing ragged. Striding into the restroom I took off my eye-patch and stared at my reflecting again. The dragon's eye, a gleaming yellow gem gazed back at me in challenge, provoking me to take action.

_You two have great power so why don't you use it for something useful? _Nina's words repeated through my mind and I braced myself against the sink, my knuckles turning white. Her words and the eye were both provoking me, taunting me even. Steeling my resolve I placed my eye-patch back on and stormed out of my room, running through the corridor back onto the field.

* * *

_Outside..._

The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form. A number of Zuellni's legs were stuck in the ground and the metallic sound of the joints struggling to move filled the air. There was another noise, the sound like water oozing forth coming from under the earth and twisted the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. Something was climbing up from the ground that Zuellni stood, they came one after another...dots of red light lit up the deep night. One, two, three, four...one after another, red lights climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon, Zuellni was drowning in a sea of red light. They were those larvae parasites, heeding their mother's call to eat and become stronger and so they made their approach towards the inhabitants of Zuellni.

The platoons stood ready as they watched their enemies approach them.

"Artillery, commence firing!" She shouted into her transmitter. The artillerymen, led by Sharnid, fed their KEI into the cannons on the outskirts of the city and fired. The condensed energy hit the larvae's front-lines and detonated. Shells shattered and small metallic legs scattered onto the ground. The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells. "They can't fly for extended periods of time. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don't let any reach the city."

"Roger." Sharnid replied, "I can't die here. I still have a date tomorrow." Usually, she would have been irritated by his joke but this time his laughter made her smile. She relaxed, and restored the two DITEs she took out from her harness. The KEI flowing through the iron whips with their safety locks released looked more vivid and clearer than usual. Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were at the front. Layfon was no where to be found, Harley was probably in one of the shelters and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the Psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter. She couldn't think about the white-haired girl because the larvae continued to climb up Zuellni's legs. Wasting no more time she launched herself at her enemies, slashing at them with her iron whips. Shots rang out around her as Sharnid and his crew backed her up.

One of the larvas suddenly came too close for comfort and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her iron whips to strike at its head. Rolling back, she narrowly escaped the fate of being trampled by other larvae but another larva was already waiting at the spot where she would roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively, her External KEI burst out and using that momentum she widened the gap between her and her enemy. She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva's body, the head was the easiest target. Her strike was off by a few millimeters but it broke one of the larva's forelegs. Shifting its movement the bug readjusted itself and headed left, avoiding confrontation with her.

"Captain!" A voice shouted through the transmitter in her ear just as she was starting to relax a little.

_ Whose angry voice was that that came through the transmitter? Sharnid?_ Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to the side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina's shoulder. Her body flipped through the air before crashing to the ground, the things in her vision were spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth and she stood up, delicately holding her wound. The loss of blood took away the vitality of her KEI and her body felt heavy. Anxiety halted her steps and made the iron whip heavy in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her while her consciousness was starting to fade.

_I'm about to die..._She thought as the vibration in the air from a nearby larvae hit her first before she actually saw the creature crawling towards her. As soon as she accepted her fate with sheer calmness, a wintery gust of cold air descended onto the battlefield. She could see the stirring of air particles stop, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvaes' bodies and halted their movement. The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come.

"Flame..." A shadow sailed over Nina's head in a burst of exploding flames. "Stryker!" The larvae before her was split apart, its huge body exploded upon impact. One by one, the mechanical insects around the area were exploding into a million pieces. Soon the entire corner where the larvae had gathered became desolated.

"What..." Nina gasped, trying to support her body and remain conscious through it all. Someone was dragging her aside, could be someone from her team but she weakly pushed him away from her.

"Retreat, you fool!" the voice of the Student President resonated through the air. "We're entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat behind the fence." Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air.

"Flakes?" She murmured, holding one of the delicate petals in her hand. A Psychokinesist uses flakes to interact with other people as well as analyzing information from their surroundings and transmit messages from far away. As the voice of the Student President calmed his student's down, I made my way towards the outskirts of the city, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. My heart was fluttering with excitement as I could hear it beating wildly in my ears.

_Rias_. Felli's voice whispered into me ear and I looked to see the flakes dancing from the corner of my eye. _I found where the mother is hiding thanks to FonFon's information. Heading 1305. Distance, 30 Kilomel. Depth, 12 Mel. I'll lead you in._

"That won't be necessary," I replied as I made a turn and dashed off in that direction. "my sense of smell will guide me there. And besides, " I chuckled, " your nickname for Layfon is 'FonFon'?"

_Shut up. _Came the soft whisper. I bet you anything that her face was a red as my hair. _It's much better than 'Layton', and he gave me special permission to use it. No one else is allowed to call him that. _

"Not that I'd ever call him that personally." I snorted as the drop end appeared in my line of sight. "It has 'embarrassment' written all over it."

_ You're just jealous. _She scoffed._ I'm warning you though, you have about 5 minutes, any higher then that your lungs won't hold. _

"I probably don't have to tell you this but," I skidded to a stop at the very edge of the city and looked into the massive hole in the earth where the critters were crawling out from. "my lungs were specially made for this kind of task. You just wait for my successful return!"

"Hey! Wait up!" I turned to see Layfon landed next to me, his feet hitting the ground softly. "I suppose you weren't thinking about a back-up now were you? I heard everything Felli said so I'm up to speed."

"Back-up? You?" I looked at him skeptically. "Never in the slightest. If most I'd say you would be like my associate. C'mon, let's not waste anymore time."

_Remember FonFon_. Felli's voice floated around us. _You also have 5 minutes but knowing you two, you probably wouldn't need that long to get the job done. _

"Understood!" He replied and grinned. "Let's go hunting."

* * *

_Outside the city..._

The moment Layfon and I left the air shield, the air felt really sticky and uncomfortable. Layfon leaped down from the edge, controlling the KEI-filled threads with his fingers. I scaled down one of Zuellni's legs, anchoring myself so that I wouldn't get blown away by the rough winds. Soil particles danced around our eyes while the pollutants ate at our flesh. We found the dark cavern thanks to the tracks left by the larvae and ventured in, every single cell in our bodies on high alert. It was hard living in the real world after being sheltered by the sealed off cities, and the only way to communicate with the outside world was through the danger that hid in the shadow of the roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in a world that did not permit their existence.

_The mother's right behind this last corner. _Felli said and we turned the corner, coming face to face with the mother form of a filth monster. Layfon released his threads and turned the DITE back to its original form while I got ready in an attack stance, my claws gleaming in the dimly lit cave. The mother's abdomen was two-thirds of its bulky body and it looked like its been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was were the larvae were nurtured and the earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva's was a compound eye.

"Restoration 01." Layfon said and the DITE turned into a blue green sword. "Perhaps, our will to live is the same." He spoke to the mother without fearing the waste of breath. I watched him cautiously while waiting for the opportunity to strike. "Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same too." He strode towards her, every step increased the light of KEI in the blade, driving back the darkness. "Those people who aren't satisfied with that alone, are probably too rich."

"Layfon." I whispered urgently, noticing that the mother had senses imminent danger, its jaw started to open and close rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened. She was calling for reinforcement.

"We still want to live on," Layfon raised his sword above his head, "I don't plan to apologize." Taking my cue I leaped forward just as his blade swung down and we ended her live in a flash, her cries echoing along the walls of the cave before it died down into nothingness.


	4. Chapter 4: Hospital bound

**A/N**: Chapter 4 of _Eighty-Six_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Chrome Shelled Regios belongs to the rightful owner.

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**Chapter 4: Hospital bound**

_Near the edge of the city..._

In the silence, Nina stood rooted on the spot as the wind blew gently through the skies. Before her lay the decapitated corpses of the larvae. No one at the battle scene understood what had happened. The medical students collected themselves and scurried around to administer healing medicine to the wounded. If she had lost her life, she wouldn't be here, thinking like this now. Without our help, she would've died already. Layfon wasn't proud of his exceptional skills and I...I wasn't too clear of what I should feel about this skill that was ingrained in my body since my birth.

"Those newbies..." She murmured as her gaze found us standing near the edge of the city, our backs to her. Layfon was staring out towards the horizon while I was hunched over trying to catch my breath by his side. He used one of his wires to get back up and since I didn't have any of the wires I climbed my way back up as if I was doing a rock-climbing exercise. To say that I was struggling was an understatement, the battle was long and I used up almost all of my strength just to keep up with Layfon's stamina. Honestly, that man has a lot of potential and power but even he couldn't hide the fact that he was tired as well.

"Ah, it's great that you're okay Senpai." Layfon staggered over to her, his appearance appallingly terrible. She looked over at me and I saw an eyebrow arched up in confusion. It must be because I wasn't as "terrible-looking" as Layfon thanks to my beast transformation. However I still had some swollen red patches on my skin where it wasn't protected by the scales.

"We kind of ran a little too far from the city, which is why we look like this." We were in pain and Layfon's smile looked like a spasm. "If we didn't destroy the mother, other filth monsters would have come..."

"You were stupid...both of you." Nina said as she looked at the two of us like a mother would. "We have gear tailored for combat outside."

"Eh!? Really!" We looked at each other before releasing a couple of laughs, scratching the back of our heads in sheepishness.

"Of course." Nina replied. "This might be an Academy City, but even so, it's a famous one. You can find standard equipment here." Oh my, those two...She laughed at our dumbstruck expressions, which must have looked ridiculous from her perspective.

_This is the first time I've seen Layfon smile._ I mused, watching his mouth twitch upwards._ It looks a little bit sour._

"Hey!" Nina suddenly yelped as Layfon suddenly fell against her causing both of them to fall to the ground.

"Sorry, I'm a bit tired. Let me rest a bit." He mumbled as his head fell against her chest, using her bosom as a make-shift pillow.

"Oh my..."

"Shut it." Nina snapped at me as I turned away with a cheeky grin on my face. "You better not be formulating any dirty thoughts in that head of yours!"

"How could I not?" I asked, turning back to face her. "Just look at that position..."

"I'm going to punish you for the rest of the week by making you scrubbed the floors and staying over-time!" She paused just as the sound of peaceful snoring reached our ears. "Jeez...you did really well...the both of you."

"Cough! Cough!" Layfon's body suddenly convulsed and he coughed blood onto the ground.

"Huh!?" Nina quickly looked down with worry when he continued convulsing. "Aaahhh! Blood! He's vomiting blood!" She looked around in panic in search of medical students. "Stretcher! Get a stretcher over!"

"R-Right! Stretchers immediately!" The medical students jumped into action and quickly placed Layfon on a stretcher, whisking him away to a hospital.

"Rest on this stretcher! Quickly!" One of the students guided me to a vacant one and lowered me gently onto the cloth before waving over another medic to help out. "This one isn't suffering as badly but we need to hurry to the hospital. The particles from outside the city probably contaminated her lungs much like Layfon's. Let's hurry."

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_At the hospital..._

"How's his pulse coming along?"

"The patient looks to be in stable condition."

"Good. Keep a close eye on him for the rest of the week and he should make a speedy recovery."

"Yes! Doctor!"

"Keep up the good work, Nurse."

_So noisy..._Layfon thought, flickering between consciousness and unconsciousness. Oh right, I have to write a letter back to Leerin before I forget. I'll tell her everything that's happened up to now...but until I do...Losing the thought, he fell back into a slumber.

"Oh? It looks like he's sound asleep Doctor." The nurse spoke in a whisper when she noticed the slight rising and falling of his chest.

"Then we shouldn't worry too much about him, let's leave him alone for now." There was a shuffling of paper and the sound of the door opening and closing slightly. "How is our other patient?"

"Surprisingly her condition is slightly better than the boy's but..." The nurse's voice was filled with surprise as she looked at the sheets of paper on her clipboard. "We've ran test data countless times but we haven't figured out why that is. In theory, those of us who went to the outside world without a protection suit usually don't have conditions such as these. I would think that she's an abnormal one."

"Hmm..." The doctor paused to stroke his beard in thought, his eyes darting back and forth from behind his glasses. "That's quite intriguing..."

"Currently we are making sure she doesn't have anymore contaminated air in her lungs." The nurse continued her report. "Once that's finished she'll be in the green and perhaps ready for further battles in the future. But there's one thing I don't understand..." The nurse looked at him in confusion as if she had been wondering about something for awhile. "When I tried to get the patient's eye-patch off, something about it didn't feel right. I felt as though something bigger than what we know lies hidden underneath that cloth. It gave me goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stood up straight. It wasn't normal by any means."

"...Could it possibly some hidden power that we can't harness yet?" The man mused to himself, scratching his chin as he thought about it some more. "Or is it something so powerful that it manifested itself into the child to keep it safe from someone else's gain?"

"Possibly sir. None of the other nurses wishes to remove the cloth so we kind of left it alone." The nurse answered. "They start to fidget as if someone or something was watching them so they try to avoid her at all cost. What do you recommend we do?"

"If things continue like this, we will not be able to keep an eye on our patient and as doctors it is our duty to put the patient's life before everything else." The doctor nodded his head with agreement before turning to his assistant. "Nurse, continue your observation and give me a full report by tomorrow morning. Do not leave out any details if something strange occurs but please, be careful."

"Yes Doctor."


End file.
